Sam, "Doc, how are they?"
The veterinarian sighed, "Your pup and kitten are not doing well, Sam."
Judy, "How bad are we talking?"
Veterinarian, "For the pup the lung cancer is at it's final stages. It is more surprising no one caught on. The other well, she is on her last legs. How long had you had them again?"
Ron, "Well, Mojo, our dog has been around since we were married and Liko our old cat after Sam was born."
The Doctor hummed, "I see. They have lived exceptionally long. I am afraid their old bodies are too weak to fight any disease or accept any medicine. It will be best if you prepared yourselves.
Sam took a deep breath and released it, "I see, thank you for the warning, Doc. May we take them home, please? I would prefer they are comfortable."
The veterinarian whose name was Dr Marak nodded as she smiled a sad but gentle smile as she let them to the room the dog and cat were staying in. Liko meowed tiredly while Mojo wagged his tail slowly happy to go home though they did not move much. Sam smiled bundling up Liko in her favourite blanket while Judy gathered Mojo and Ron grabbed their things. Unlike the other dogs and cats who stayed happily at the farm whole year round, Liko and Mojo were special. They were the first dog and cat the family had after moving to Tranquility and Sam's birth. They were direct family as far as they were concerned and losing them was going to be hard for them. Bee who now transformed into a dark golden SUV with black stripes waited for them patiently running scans on all of them. The two pets were settled down comfortably and the drive back home was very quiet with the two old pets falling asleep half way through.
They reached their old home in Tranquility wanting to give the two pets as much comfort as possible. If the Doctor's words were anything to go by, Mojo and Liko did not have much time left now. Sam noticed Bee was quiet the whole ride when normally he would gossip with his mom about anything and everything. Sam pat Bee's hood and got a gentle rumble in return signaling he was in deep thought so Sam decided to let Bee think in peace. Sam went inside and helped his parents make the place a more comfortable home for their oldest pets. Ron and Judy were planning on moving out and staying at Alnwick castle, well one of the estates near the castle. They wanted to be closer to Sam and their grandkids but that plan changed and they moved back to Tranquility for the time being.
Sam went out once the things were set up, "You okay, big guy?"
Bee, "I am alright. Just thinking."
Sam hummed, "Well, a lot of things happened the past half year. It is a lot to think about in my humble opinion."
Bee, "Humble, he says. Sam your opinions are anything but humble."
Sam leaned back on the hood, "I am not joking about a lot of things happening around us though."
Bee's holoform appeared next to him, "You are telling me. First Sentinel going traitor, second is him kidnapping you. Third, Vivian and Hot Rod finding the Knights and forth guess what she is descendant of Merlin. She can go Bibidi Bobbidi Boo."
Sam, "Do not forget their offer to train you."
Bee, "How can I forget?"
Flashback:
Bumblebee was watching the delegation, 'Those are some old fashioned armor.'
Chatter, "Sire, look, look. They said they were Knights like in my book."
Bumblebee, "Indeed they are. Where is Quickshot?"
Chatter, "Since Optimus is Quickshot's chosen Sire, he is over there to greet them."
Bumblebee looked amused, "So, you decided to bother me instead?"
Chatter, "Sammy said I can greet them or join you. I decided to join you."
Bee looked at where his charge was and decided to join him, "Come on, we are joining Sam in greeting them."
Sam was giving a welcoming smile, "Hello, I am Samuel James Witwicky, the current Head host for Cybertronians. If you need someone especially humans to back off, just tell me. My team and I will handle them. As a host, it is in my right and power to get unwanted people to stop bothering my guests."
Dragonius rumbled amused, "Oh? I was told you were more than just a host."
Sam laughed, "I am a host, my dear knight. That too, a very proud one at that."
Dragonius drawled sarcastically, "Yes, the new Priest of the Allspark is a mere host."
Sam beamed, "You get it."
Dragonius, "Cheeky little thing, aren't you? I am going to enjoy being here."
Sam, "I certainly hope your stay is good."
Dragonius, "Do you not have any demands in return?"
Sam, "Oh, my demands are simple. Do not commit any crimes. Do not break any laws where you can be caught. I cannot help you if you do that. If you want to fight there is a battle area created separated for Cybertronians. Stick to that please. That is all, I have as demands."
Dragonius, "Not what I meant but I suppose we could stick with those demands."
Bumblebee, "Sam, it is time for your check up. You know how Ratchet gets."
Sam, "Ah! Right, even though I am fine now he worries too much."
Bumblebee, "Well, the Allspark has been more active according to his scans so he just wants to be sure."
Sam, "This is my Guardian Knight, Bumblebee."
Bumblebee, "We have met before actually. Do not worry about us Sam. Please, head inside, Ratchet is waiting I believe."
Sam, "I... Oh alright! Let us talk later then, Knight Draconius."
Draconius was already observing the youngest Knight, "Of course, young one. Take care till then."
Bumblebee, "May I help you?"
Draconius, "Is he the reason you turned down the offer to be trained by one of us?"
Bumblebee, "Among many others, yes. I am not leaving him."
Draconius, "Do you know what makes a Knight, a well Knight?"
Bumblebee shrugged, 'Beats me. I never met a Knight before.'
Draconius, "Knights have something precious to protect from the rest of the Universe."
Bumblebee, "Sam is worth it even if he did not have the Allspark, I would still protect him simply because he is mine to guard."
Steelbane gave a huff, "And that young Spark Sensitive is one of the most basic fundamentals of being a Knight. You may not realize it but you are not the first Spark Sensitive to become a Knight."
Bumblebee looked surprised, "I am not?"
Steelbane hummed in thought, "No, you are not. And something tells me you will not be the last either. So, do not fret."
Draconius looked at Bumblebee seriously, "Once again Knight Bumblebee, the offer is open. If you ever decide to learn the more detailed intricate details and ongoings of being a Knight, just come find us."
Opyimus finally spoke up, "I assure you, dear Knights. If Bumblebee decides he has an interest, you will not be able to get rid of him. You will wish he had not taken an interest."
Bumblebee smirked, "I am known for being stubbornly obssessive. Just ask Sam, he will tell you about my obssession with Earth culture and practices."
Draconius, "Very well, I suppose we will be seeing you multiple times during my stay here."
Optimus sighed, "This way to the meeting hall. I must warn you though, despite being an organic planet, politics never change."
Elita, "There you are. I was starting to think you were lost somewhere."
Optimus, "Apologies Elita, we got caught up in our pleasantries."
Elita giggled, "I was teasing you. We are not in a hurry. The planet's leaders just started joining the meeting hall. Mind you, the meeting will have half of the participants online though as there is a sleep schedule difference."
Bumblebee watched them go not really interested in joining, he normally spied or got the information he needed from others anyway. He was one the best Scouts of Cybertron for a reason, whether or not he was Knight now. Bumblebee looked at where Chatter had been observing the exchange with interest and now was talking a mile a minute with her sibling, Quickshot. Bumblebee knew he made the right choice to turn down the offer at the moment, he was a Sire first after all. Yes, being trained as a full fledged Knight would give him more power and status but the training was not simple and required his full attention. Something he was not ready to do, considering he had Sam and sparklings to care for at the moment.
Flashback end!
Bumblebee looked at the evening sky, 'That was my thought process a few months ago.'
Sam, "Let's go to my room, Bee. I want to chill and play games while pretending I do not have work on Monday."
Bumble nodded, 'But today made me realize Sam will not be here forever and Chatter will grow up. She is already showing signs of entering her first spark growth according to Ratchet.'
Sam took out his old game console, "Mario Cart or Street Fighter?"
Bumblebee, "Street Fighter. It has been a while."
Sam, "Sure! I am gonna kick your aft."
Bumblebee, "Dream on."
Chatter, "Quickshot and I are playing Mario Cart in your other video game console."
Sam, "Sure."
Bumblebee, 'I wish this would last forever.'
They played the whole evening till Judy called Sam for dinner and Bumblebee got sparkling grade energon for the sparklings. Chatter and Quickshot had surprisingly enough taken to using holo forms like a pro gamer could play games. The next few days were filled with Sam spending as much time as he could with Mojo and Liko without pushing them too far. Chatter and Quickshot most likely picked up on something and took to playing games next to the old dog and cat. Liko would a lot of time curl up on Sam's lap or Bee's lap is Judy was not there. On Monday, however Sam had to return to work via online and start clearing up paperwork, whle making lists of necessary items and utilitiies. It took the whole day and at one point Sam noticed Mojo had joined him on the bed kept for the chihuaha, sleeping soundly.
That did not last however as two weeks later, Mojo passed in his sleep, and he was followed by Liko, three days later. The old cat had climbed on to Mojo's old bed and passed away in the middle of the night. It was a sad week for them. The family's oldest companions had passed in the same week but they had lived relatively long lives compared to other dogs and cats. Mojo and Liko were buried side by side in the family graveyard set aside for loyal pets. Chatter and Quickshot were quiet as their processors tried to comprehend what had happened. They had not dealt with death directly before and this was a little overwhelming for them. Bumblebee and Sam were patient with the two while Judy and Ron simply let the youngest come to their own conclusion about their feelings.
Judy, "Mr Charles, glad you could come here."
Quickshot, "Sammy, who is that?"
Sam, "Oh? That is the estate realtor. I think he is here to evaluate the value of this old house actually."
Quickshot, "Why?"
Sam, "Because we are thinking of moving closer to Alnwick castle."
Quickshot mumbled, "But this is where Mojo and Liko.... "
Sam, "We were here to make Mojo and Liko comfortable on their last moments."
Quickshot, "Oh! So, now that it is done we are leaving forever?"
Sam, "Not forever no. This is still under Witwicky property. We will just be renting the place out actually."
Quickshot, "So, we can visit anytime."
Sam, "Of course we can, sweetspark. No one says we cannot come back."
Quickshot relaxed, "That is good."
Bumblebee watched Quickshot join Judy, "Are you alright Sam?"
Sam, "I am alright, Bee. Do not worry too much."
Bumblebee, "You sure?"
Sam, "I will not lie. I miss Mojo and Liko but I mourned them already. So, now I am going to live and be happy so they do not have to worry too much."
Bumblebee rumbled, "I think I get that. I wish I did not but I get it."
Sam leaned against the holo form, "Saying goodbye is never easy, is it? Not when you know you will never see them again."
Bumblebee, "But it need to be done for closure and to move on. Want some hot chocolate? Or maybe some of your favourite rolls?"
Sam's lips quirked in amusement, "Maybe later, I took the day off to help pack things up today so let's just finish that first. after that we can cuddle together. Maybe the others can join too if they are free."
Bumblebee, "You know the Elders would have either extremely hated you or loved you depending on what you did."
Sam, "Elders?"
Bumblebee, "The ones sitting on the Council. You are something they would love or hate depending on how much they could take advantage of you."
Sam snorted, "Advantage of me? My that sounds omnious."
Bumblebee drawled, "Which is honestly not much considering the Allspark seems ready to spill everyone's secrets."
Sam shrugged, "That's just sparky being an overly proud parent. Not my fault those secrets intertwine with their memories."
Bumblebee, "People would kill for the information you get."
Sam, "I know. Which is why I do not advertise it to people."
Bumblebee looked at the gathered packages, "On Cybertron, your position would see you become sequestered away inside on of the Allspark temples."
Sam snorted, "Bold of people to assume I will allow myself to stay in a place without consent or interest. Very bold!"
Bumblebee drawled, "Yes, humans have shown to be very rebellious when upset. I got lucky with you."
Sam, "Aww ~ Am I a lucky charm then?"
Bumblebee, "Very much."
Sam, "Huh, I was not expecting that."
Bumblebee, "Did you know before coming to Earth and meeting you I was one of the best silent killers? I spent most of my time scouting, hunting for information and killing whoever was necessary to get what I want."
Sam, "So, you were a soldier. An impressive one at that. You are getting therapy too, yes?"
Bumblebee chuckled, "Yes to all, do not worry. Rung has been a Primus send in that particular matter. Point is, I was not exactly my best during those times. I was as the teens say these days, very unhinged."
Sam, "Oooh! A dark Bumblebee era. Sounds very fascinating to me."
Bumblebee snorted, "Is that so?"
Sam, "Yeah, totally so. I wonder if Optimus had his own dark era? He certainly went through a lot of crazy with Megatron too."
Bumblebee, "If he did, he kept it hidden."
Judy came out, "I really appreciate you coming here, Charles."
Ron followed them, "We hope we get a good result from the evaluation."
Charles, "The result will be delivered next week. I can tell the results will be good. The house is in good condition after all."
Judy, "Wonderful!"
Ron, "We will be moving out completely next week so it works. Sam, are you done with those items?"
Sam, "Yup, do not worry about it."
Chatter ran to Sam, "Dad, put my doll house too. Send it over as well."
Charles, "You have a cute granddaughter Miss Witwicky. Is the man next to Mr Witwicky his husband?"
Judy snorted, "No, he is family. As for our granddaughter, she was a surprise but a lovely one."
Charles, "So the mother."
Ron, "Not part of the living I am afraid."
Charles, "Oh! Oh! My apologies for being nosey. My condolences for the loss."
Ron, "Honestly, it is fine. It has been years. Sometimes things happen, we have learned to accept and move on now."
Charles nodded feeling sympathy, "Indeed, life moves on."
Bee whispered, "He has the wrong idea."
Sam, "Saves us from giving an explanation so, I am not complaining."
Bumblebee, "I guess, should we call the movers to send this off?"
Sam, "Yeah, just two more days and we will return here sparingly. Hard to believe we spent so many years here."
Bumblebee, "Miles and Raph's families moved away last year and before that. We are the last ones I think to move from here."
Sam, "Say, have you thought about an answer to the Knights?"
Bumblebee, "I said no for now. Might change after Chatter and Quickshot receives their first frame change though."
Sam, "Ah! You gave them that timeline then?"
Bumblebee, "Not really though I implied it."
Sam had a thoughtful expression, "Put it in writing and get your Cybertronian system to update it as your new status. Sparky is sayin the Knights have a specific system for it, and to have them do it."
Bumblebee, "I see. Hmm.... I just might actually."
Sam, "It will keep other groups from trying to get you in the mean time."
Bumblebee raised his holo eyebrow, "You think they will try to trick me? Really bold of them, I say. I am a Scout. I have seen every trick there is and even used them."
Sam, "I know but emotions can be weird like that. Even if you logically are not interested, emotionally you might be invested."
Bumblebee, "I am not a human, Sam. I promise you I think logically."
Sam, "And so was Sentinel, did not stop him from becoming a traitor, despite all of that logic."
Bumblebee, "Touche! Fine, I will get it done after returning to the Castle."
Sam looked at him amused, "Glad you are thinking about this seriously."
Bumblebee, "Why are you so insistent on this, Sam?"
Sam, "I just worry Bee. I worry for you after I.. "
Sam sighed, 'I really want to think I am just being paranoid but according to rumors it was around this time Sam in the movies died. If that happens for some reason or another I wish for you to have a reason to move on.'
Allspark protested, -You will not die.-
Sam, 'Sparky, I am not suicidal. However, it does not hurt to have back up plans.'
Allspark, -Right, then you better come up with something for Optimus and Ironhide, Ratchet and Jazz and Elita and especially Rung. Sanity knows that Mech has gotten too close to you despite the professional distance he tries to keep.-
Sam looked up as he felt a finger poke, 'Um... Right... I will think about it.'
Bee, "What is the Allspark saying now?"
Sam, "They are speaking about future plans. Something is happening out there."
Bee, "Hmm... I might have a clue about that. Let me handle it, Sam."
Sam nodded and the returned inside when his mom called them in to help prepare the dinner for the night. The weekend after their beloved pet's death went by before you could blink and they packed the last of their items to move. The realtor came early on Monday morning with the results which were positive if Ron's expression was anything to go by. Bee hummed as they left Tranquility for good and headed to Alnwick castle, though Ron and Judy would be staying in a housing close to the castle. It was only Sam, the two sparkling and Bee who would stay inside the castle grounds alongside Mr Edmund and the Lost Light Cybertronians. Speaking of neutral Cybertronians, the Rescue Bots had settled in just fine in Griffin Rock island, used to the crazy chaos that happened daily on that island. According to Charlie Burns, he was about to become a grandpa, now that Dani Burns Westly was about to give birth.
Little Cody Burns was now a young man who was about to finish his college and excited to become an Uncle. The young man was returning to their home island for the birth of his future nibling. It always fascinated Bumblebee how easily humans could have offspring by themselves. They did not need an Allspark well, or a temple to bless them with a living spark at all. They carried their own offspring to full term all by themselves with the help and support of those around them. It always angered Bumblebee whenever he came across files with cases of abuse in them against women and children. The child abuse cases in particular angered him the most. Here were his species struggling to have an offspring, they had to go through loops to even be considered to have a sparkling. But these selfish ungrateful beings who were gifted with the ability to have children went around spitting on their blessing.
Bumblebee calmed down to avoid mistakenly start road raging because of his emotions over this subject. The last thing he wanted was to make his dear passengers worry about him, Primus knows Sam does a lot. Though that last part was partially due to the missions that Bee had been accepting to make use of and apply his new abilities in multiple ways as much as possible. Optimus gave him pointers from what he recalled studying about the Knights before but reality was different from mere theory and speculations. Bumblebee felt like he was back at the begining learning how his systems worked under pressure of life or death. The only difference he was dealing with missions while trying to learn about his extra abilities, but it was not all that bad all things considered.
Heightened senses, ability to sense other Cybertronians without requiring to depend on energon reading, new sword skills and something that Bee considers is similar to the intuition humans had. It was a very curious ability and it made him more aware of the dangers around him then normally. They reached Alnwick castle after traveling for a few days and Sam with his parents started to unpack fully while Bumblebee contacted the Knights about the decision that he finally made. Steelbane who had been chosen to be his mentor should he agree had been delighted by the more firm decision Bee had made and commented on it making the yellow Knight curious about his reaction. According to Steelbane, Knights were mostly expected to make decisions they would not regret making instead of deciding what was most profitable or what was right. As a Knight Bumblebee would be expected to keep his helm up and walk with the result or burden of his decision no matter what happens.
Jazz, "You certainly made that decision fast."
Bumblebee, "More like I got myself more time to think about it."
Jazz, "Want to talk about it?"
Bumblebee, "Did Sam put you up to this?"
Jazz laughed, "Nope, but Miles notices when Sam worries. And Prowler notices when Miles gets restless. So, I decided to get to the bottom of it."
Bumblebee, "Ah! So, it is official then, Miles is our youngest sibling?"
Jazz, "Prowl is not letting him go that easily, so most definitely. It is a shame we cannot spark bond with human sparklings to make it official Cybertron style. So, human legal system will have to suffice."
Bumblebee, "His parents agreed?"
Jazz, "I mean considering, it means more protection and security, yes."
Bumblebee, "Ah, got it. Heard he is dating Miss Banes."
Jazz, "Yes and you can bet Prowl went all detective on her background. Miles was both amused and horrified by it and made him swear to never speak a word of it."
Bumblebee, "I am not surprised by that. You do recall that was how Windblade reacted to Prowl researching Longarm, right?"
Jazz, "Heh! Now, stop avoiding the elephant in the room as the humans say. How do you actually feel about the Knights?"
Bumblebee, "It is complicated."
Jazz, "Hmm.. "
Bumblebee, "On one side, I am excited to learn about new techniques and methods that I will get to learn. On the other hand, I do not want to leave my sparkling alone either. Chatter is young and requires my attention."
Jazz, "So, you decided to wait till she becomes a youngling?"
Bumblebee nodded, "I have hope, by the time she becomes one, the Academy for younglings will be up and running in Griffin Rock. It will be for Rescue Bots of course but still."
Jazz, "It will keep the sweet spark busy while you do your thing. You know Prowl and I are here too, right? Prowl will not admit it but the idea of being grandparents have grown on Prowl thanks to Judy."
Bumblebee, "Our human family certainly introduced novel ideas to us. Or maybe we had them but forgot about it as times passed?"
Jazz, "Who knows really, but I am not denying I am excited too."
Bumblebee, "Very well, though this will not happen for a few centuries. In fact, I am more worried about the effect of Judy and Ron's mortality. Chatter barely processed the deaths of Mojo and Liko."
Jazz, "Ah! The little ones passed on. It happen though, Cybertron has it's fair share of turbo pets too. Their life expectancy is not as long as ours."
Bumblebee, "I know but sparklings never have so mucj stimuli on Cybertron like Chatter and Quickshot are getting. Most of the sparklings have stimuli from their parental unit area and sparkling centre unit."
Jazz, "It must be because the Allspark incorporated human DNA in too."
Bumblebee, "What? How is that possible?"
Jazz chuckled, "It is the Allspark. I would not be surprised if they found a way. Chatter and Quickshot are already different from other sparklings. They are more open, more welcoming and courageous."
Bumblebee, "The triplets are following the two's lead too."